Oakland: In a contest that saw both the Oakland Roots and Miami FC without their star strikers, it wasn’t a total surprise that Saturday evening’s USL contest ended with a scoreless 0-0 draw. A point is a point and currently the Oakland Roots sit in third place in the Western Conference. Bad news is the Oakland Roots are also just 2 points from sitting in 10th place in the West.
Peter Wilson is expected to be back on Wednesday, but it is becoming clear that the Roots need to figure out the third goal scorer on this team outside of Wilson and Wolfgang Prentice. Danny Trejo has the support of Ryan Martin, but I have to wonder how much longer the Trejo experience will last. His breakaway miss on Saturday was “ROUGH”.
The Roots will return Wednesday against Birmingham Legion at the Oakland Coliseum.
Here are our top-10 player ratings from Saturday.
1. Michael Edwards, 7.5
No rest for Michael Edwards, as the top defender for the Oakland Roots continues to be a great free agent signing. Edwards had a team high 92 touches and nearly had a stunning header goal in the first half. The former MLS player had eight defensive contributions and five clearances that were key in keeping the clean sheet for the Roots. The long term question is who starts next to him?
2. Florian Valot. 7.4
Florian Valot blasted one of the few solid chances way over the crossbar, but overall Valot continues to be a veteran calming force for the Roots. A full 90 minutes is good to see, but where Valot eventually lands on the field is still up for debate. Three chances created by the Frenchman and he had seven recoveries in the 0-0 draw.
3. Kendall McIntosh, 7.2
Kendall McIntosh picked up his second straight USL Championship start, as the veteran goalkeeper picked up his first clean sheet of the season and the third team shutout overall for the Roots. McIntosh wasn’t pressured heavily, as Miami FC was missing their star striker Jurgen Locadia, as he was busy losing 7-1 to German at the World Cup for Curacao. But the Oakland native is making his case to claim the starting job back from Raphael Spiegel.
4. Jesus de Vicente, 7.0
Outside of a suspect yellow card, Jesus de Vicente continues to be one of the Oakland Roots best players and may have the case for free agent signing of the year. It will be hard to beat Tommy McCabe in that department, but de Vicente has been as good as we had hoped coming out of the University of Virginia. De Vicente has become a weapon when it comes to setpieces and has the potential to be the best Left-back in the USL.
5. Keegan Tingey, 7.0
Keegan Tingey could be playing for his starting spot right now, as the emergence of Julian Bravo means at least one quality player will be heading to the bench in a few weeks. David Garcia and Mark Fisher are confirmed to start training before the end of July. Tingey was 0-for-5 on accurate crosses and lost all three aerial duels he was a part of.
6. Julian Bravo, 6.9
Was the answer at center-back here all along? Julian Bravo has been found money over the past two contests, as the 25-year old has been a key cog in back-to-back shutouts for the Roots. David Garcia appears to be returning to practice within the next two weeks, but until then this will be the Bravo and Michael Edwards show on the backline.
7.Bertin Jacquesson, 6.9
It appears that Bertin Jacquesson may have officially claimed the right side spot over Faysal Betteche. The speed on the right side is outstanding for the Roots, but I would like to see more finishing ability from the Frenchman. Jacquesson was 0-for 4 on accurate crosses and it is something that must improve quickly.
8. Tommy McCabe, 6.8
I may need to start copy and pasting each week’s Tommy McCabe section. Tommy McCabe was good and continues to be the engine from midfield for the Oakland Roots. One big chance created by the 28-year old.
9. Tyler Gibson, 6.8
Roughly 45 solid minutes for Tyler Gibson, as the 35-year old veteran continues to be a steady force off the bench for the Roots. Gibson was 26 for 28 on passes for an accuracy rate of 93%. I fully expect Gibson to come off the bench for the rest of the season.
10. Tucker Lepley, 6.6
Tucker Lepley was subbed on late into Saturday’s contest, but the 24-year old on loan from the LA Galaxy continues to impress in limited action for the Oakland Roots. I wouldn’t be shocked if a combination of Lepley and Tommy McCabe could be in the Roots future. This would allow Lepley to run wild in the midfield and have McCabe as a defensive backup for the backline.